Shanghai reports zero Covid cases for the first time since the outbreak

China on Saturday reported zero new Covid-19 infections in Shanghai for the first time since March as the country’s latest outbreak eases after months of virus-related lockdowns and restrictions.

China is the last major economy still committed to a zero-Covid strategy, stamping out new cases with a combination of targeted lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines.

Economic hub Shanghai was forced into a months-long lockdown this spring during a Covid surge fueled by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, while the capital Beijing closed schools and offices for weeks due to a separate outbreak.

Infections have narrowed to a trickle in recent days, with Shanghai on Saturday reporting zero locally transmitted cases for the first time since the outbreak began in early March.

“As of June 24, 2022, Shanghai had no new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and no new domestic asymptomatic infections,” the city said in a statement.

The lockdown of Shanghai’s 25 million residents was virtually lifted in early June, but the metropolis is struggling to return to normal as individual neighborhoods have reinstated restrictions in response to new infections.

Millions of people across the city were placed under temporary lockdown again two weeks ago after the government ordered a new campaign of mass testing.

In Beijing, restrictions first imposed in May were eased as cases fell, but tightened again this month after a cluster of infections linked to nightlife emerged.

After days of mass testing and localized lockdowns, the “heaven’s supermarket infection chain” — named after the popular bar frequented by patients — has been effectively blocked, Beijing authorities said last week.

The city’s Department of Education said Saturday that all elementary and middle school students could return to their classrooms for in-person classes Monday after the pub cluster delayed schools reopening.

All school staff, students and parents are required to take a Covid-PCR test before returning to school and are being urged to “limit going out and avoiding gatherings,” the education department said in an official social media post.

Beijing reported two new local infections on Saturday.

China insists the zero-Covid policy is necessary to avert a healthcare disaster, with officials citing unequally distributed medical resources and low vaccination rates among the elderly as key concerns.

But the strategy has hit the world’s second-biggest economy, and tough enforcement has also sparked rare protests, while the extreme isolation of foreign businesses and middle-class families has prompted them to hatch exit plans.